New Yorkers need legends

HERO AT LARGE  (1980)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Hero at Large" is one of the most disarmingly appealing movies you will ever see, largely due to the presence of John Ritter. Ritter is a pleasant, charming presence, completely sincere and thus 100% appealing. Well, in fact, so sincere that the movie may as well be called "Sincerity at Large." That is the movie's strength and it is justified since the character Ritter plays may not be unlike himself.

Speaking of sincerity, Steve Nichols (John Ritter) is an unemployed NYC actor who occasionally drives a cab. Steve is so damn sincere that, at one point, he tells another out-of-work actor about a commercial the actor might be good for, without a shred of irony! Steve's own agent is nonplussed - no wonder Steven can't find work. Still, there is a job available, to stand-in for a costumed superhero and sign autographs for the upcoming premiere of a "Captain Avenger" movie. This would require Steve to dress up as Captain Avenger as a publicity stunt to drive up some attention. One night, while buying milk at a grocery store, a couple of thieves attempt to rob the store but not before Nichols' Captain Avenger (still dressed in the costume) stops them and beats them up. A hero is born in New York and Nichols, at first, relishes the attention though nobody is aware of the hero's identity. When Nichols gets a police scanner and drives around in his cab, he gets wind of some robbers in a getaway car and shows up, only this time Nichols is shot in the arm. Maybe this crime-fighting business is not for him.

"Hero at Large" follows a simple formula that allows one to anticipate its every move. Anne Archer is the next-door neighbor who cares for Nichols when he is thrown out of his apartment for non-payment of rent, though she mostly nurtures his gunshot wound. She is not interested in him romantically, despite a blissfully romantic evening that leads to him getting rejected yet again. We know they will end up together yet Archer plays such a mature character with a measure of complexity that is only hinted at. We know Nichols will dress up as Captain Avenger again once he is discovered by the New York City Mayor's staff that he was the crime-fighting hero. This means more publicity stunts that Nichols can't abide by, but then he does anyway. Some of his earnestness here gets a little tedious and the movie feels longer than its 97-minute running time.

Still, "Hero at Large" is reasonably entertaining with a good heart and a simple message of rewarding the ideology of a hero (which of course most of the Captain Avengers fans can't get behind) rather than the hero himself. There is a bit too much padding with Bert Convy as the slick PR guy who works for the Mayor and the rather dull business of Leonard Harris (in a role not dissimilar from his role in "Taxi Driver") as the mayor who is booed by NYC. Despite a few lulls, there are a few laughs strewn throughout and it is a kick seeing Ritter as an enthusiastic Captain Avenger wannabe. His sincerity makes it harmless, occasionally intoxicating fun.